Truth Comes Out
by Damonficgirl
Summary: Continuation from "Partners in Crime" this time Evan and Cat go head to head with a lot of truth coming out. My take on what would happen if Evan had simply gone upstairs and spoken to Cat like a man. Also features a Heather and Cat heart to heart. just a oneshot at this stage.


**Truth Comes Out**

Cat wrapped her arms across her chest as she walked away from her window, the rush of excitement from seeing him and kissing him was still there. The dorky smile that lit up her face when she remembered his smile was so obvious she didn't know what she'd say if Heather barged in asking to borrow a sweater. Cat decided a shower was her safest option, the warm water would calm her down and help her get ready for sleep; though having long wet hair at bed time was a pain.

She was in the shower when the doorbell rang so she didn't hear it so Cat was surprised when Heather rapped on the bathroom door and called in to her, "Cat its me, Evan's here to see you, I'll tell him to wait in the living room okay?"

Cat was immediately shocked and worried, Evan didn't drop by at this time of night for social visits. Maybe a few months ago, before Vincent it might not have been a total shock but Cat had put a lot of distance between her and Evan since that birthday kiss. Cat has definitely been pushing the friend vibe. A night time visit spelled a different sort of urgency and her mind immediately went to Vincent.

Too anxious to worry about the fact he'd be seeing her in her PJs Cat towelled off quickly and left her hair damp and limp as she went out to see him.

"I was just about to go to bed," Cat explained, trying not to sound too hostile but not exactly welcoming either.

"Sorry but this can't wait." Evan was sitting on her sofa, leaning forward, his face ashen and grave.

"What is it?" Cat asked worried, approaching.

"We need to talk," Evan began. "I saw you."

"What?" Cat asked confused.

"I was on my way here, I was walking and I looked up, I didn't even realise it was your window at first but then I recognised you. At first my concern was that I was intruding but it all looked wrong, I mean if you had a gentleman caller why would he be perched on the balcony like that? And then I saw him jump." The betrayal was written all over his face. The way he used the term 'gentleman caller' as if they were in a Jane Austen novel not modern day America. Cat's heat broke a little for him despite the fact her first impulse was to protect Vincent.

"Evan wait, I can explain." Only she couldn't.

"All this time, you were lying to me, and not just working with the creature, but – what – seeing him? Sleeping with the creature? Cat how could you? He murdered Joe's brother."

"He didn't. And he's not a creature, just a man who has been through a lot."

"I've seen the things he's done, so have you, how could you entertain the idea of a relationship with a beast?" Evan's voice was thick with incriminations and disgust.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you. He doesn't hurt people, not if it can be avoided. Joe's brother was mixed up with some bad people, he was going to shoot Heather. He saved her life," Cat emphasised the word life hoping that the part of Evan that knew Heather and cared about her would care about that. "That bike messenger, the men on the subway they were trying to kill me because of what I know. I would have told you if I could have without putting you and him in danger. I never meant to betray anyone."

"But you did…. When I think about how long this has been going on…." There was a long pause and Evan looked off to the side and his eyes fell on a photograph from the party. Suddenly Cat remembered the kiss which had become so insignificant in her memory, but from Evan's point of view it just made it worse.

Cat sat next to Evan and pulled his hands into hers. "He is a good man. I wish you could believe that."

"I wish I could understand why he has this power over you, is this some kind of Stockholm syndrome? Only you were never his prisoner, were you? Sometimes when someone has been rescued they feel a certain debt to their rescuer. Because you think he saved you owe him something?" His eyes searched hers. There was a hunger in his gaze Cat hadn't expected to see. "Because you don't need him, there are other people in your life, real people, who want to look after you. People who want to help you." And it all began to make sense.

Cat dropped Evan's hands and moved away. "He is a real person."

"I warned you he's becoming more of an animal. He's dangerous. Tell me, how far has it gone, surely you can't be sleeping with this creature?" Evan demanded.

Cat flinched. She didn't answer but he could see the answer in her face just as she could see his disgust in his.

Evan recoiled. "Are you insane?"

"He is a good man. He is a victim of a horrible organisation who mistreated him and others like him. He was and is a patriot. A solider and a doctor and who are you to criticise him?"

"Well at least I'm not a murderer, but it seems like that's what you go for," Evan lashed out and before Cat knew what she was doing she slapped him.

"How dare you," Cat hissed. "How dare you come into my home and talk to me like this. I thought we were friends. I thought that as a scientist you would withhold judgement until you had all the evidence but you're just as bad as Joe and Gabe and those killers they brought in to take him out."

"Don't you mean to put him down? He's an animal after all," Evan spat. "I don't know why I came here. I don't know why I keep deluding myself where you're concerned. You're no worth it. I should have seen that months ago. Clearly other factors clouded my judgement," Evan admitted. "I should go," he announced and moved to leave.

"Wait, Evan you can't tell Joe. Whatever you think about this, he's not a creature, he's a man who had a family and a life before all of this began. He doesn't deserve to be hunted. If you're going to turn us in at least tell me so we have time to get away."

"You'd run away with it?" Evan asked shaking his head in dismay.

Cat nodded uncertainly. "He's my life now. You know how much I love this job, and Tess and Heather. I don't want to leave any of them, but if I have to I will. He really is a good man."

"They why does he hide?"

"Because the truth is too dangerous. I know you know about Muirfield Evan and you can't trust them, they tried to kill me – more than once. You can fool yourself into thinking they're just trying to help but if that was true why would they hunt me down? Why would they have killed my mother? Evan they're using you and I'm scared that when they're done they'll kill you like they killed my Mom. Don't you see why I didn't want you getting involved? I care about you. You're my friend. Don't do this."

For a moment Evan held her gaze and he seemed to be reconsidering. But then he let out a sigh and turned to leave.

"Wait," Cat begged, running to put herself between Evan and the door. "Will you tell them? Will you tell Joe?"

Evan shook his head. "I honestly don't know."

"Will you tell me," Cat begged.

"I'll tell you this. For what it's worth, I was in love with you. Whatever I do now, it's because I have your best interests at heart. Can he say the same?"

"Evan I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Cat was stunned. "Please, please keep this to yourself. Give me more time. At least warn me if you can't. I still consider you my friend. I never meant to hurt you."

"But you did," Evan returned and then stormed out of the apartment.

Cat closed the door defeated. Tears were running down her face. She pulled out her phone and numbly sent off a barrage of texts to JT and Vincent to warn them. Next she texted Tess explaining and begging her to talk to him. He might listen to Tess.

When she looked up from her phone Heather was standing on the other side of the room, looking bewildered and shocked. "Cat?" was all Heather could say.

Cat began crying again, loudly this time. "I'm so sorry Heather, I don't know how much of that you hear but I've been keeping secrets to protect you and I can't lose you like I've lost Evan. I need my sister of all people to just accept this. I know you don't like Vincent but you don't know the real story you don't know the real him and I need you to have my back this time."

Heather saw her sister's tears and her broken posture and something softened inside her. Instead of demanding an explanation or getting angry Heather did something totally out of character, she just walked over to her sister and hugged her. For once Heather let herself be the together one, knowingly or not she'd always put her big sister up on a pedestal and deciding that Vincent Zalanski wasn't good enough for her was part of that. But seeing how alone Cat felt, and seeing her usually all powerful older sister so vulnerable made Heather realise that for once she needed to just be there, with no judgements or expectations. She had to be the person Cat could trust.

"It's going to be okay," Heather soothed. "Evan's just jealous. I'm not sure what's going on with Vincent but if he's a great as you say he is maybe we're all just wrong." Heather remembered the part of the conversation where she'd overheard Cat telling Evan that the creature had saved Heather's life and the realisation was slowly sinking in that for all of this to make sense the creature and Vincent were one and the same. "I heard you say he saved my life."

"He did," Cat whispered. "He really did."

Heather nodded. For once she didn't ask questions she just accepted what her sister was telling her. She had to admit that something had been off about that whole night, that whole situation with Darius. She'd liked him and she hadn't wanted to consider that he'd been involved in anything underhanded but there hadn't been a speck of doubt in Cat's voice when she'd told Evan that the vigilante saved Heather from Darius. It was impossible to believe but why would Cat lie about it?

"Thank you," Cat mumbled. "For trusting me this time."

"Hey what are sisters for?" Heather returned. "How about some hot chocolate and you fill me in on the details?" she offered gently. She still had questions she needed answered but it wasn't the time for one of her little sisterly tantrums where she stomped her feet and shook her fist and raised her voice and screeched until Cat either answered or stormed off.

Cat smiled and nodded in agreement. There was nothing else she could do about Evan and if she and Vincent did have to run this could be her last chance to talk to her sister and her first in a really long time where she could tell her the truth.

**_A/N: I loved the cliff-hanger moment with Evan seeing Vincent and Cat together (part of me has been thinking for a while - that the whole firescape thing is so much more dangerous than just using the door like a normal person! Though I suppose we have Heather to blame there too. While I think for the show Evan going to Muirfield is a great development I wanted to play out a confrontation between them. A lot of people wrote versions of this sort of scene earlier in the season but the characters are at different places in their relationships now and I wanted to play with that. Also I'm a bit frustrated that Heather seems to have disappeared from the show (despite the fact she supposedly lives in the same apartment as Cat! How unrealistic, maybe they should have had her go and stay with their Dad after the shooting). I was a bit annoyed by how OTT Heather's reaction was when she met Vincent so this is her redemption for that, I think she loves Cat but the writers have let her become to annoying because it's a convenient plot device. I'd like to see her grow a little and not just be the stupid naive little sister. _**


End file.
